Am I being too optimistic.....

[rkacruiser]

thinking that some positive news about the resumption of cruising may be announced soon?

 

What I think is unusual activity in the Port of Miami and Port Everglades by watching the web cams causes me to ask this question.

 

Port Everglades:  Nieuw Statendam is in port again; it wasn't too long ago that she made a visit.  Celebrity Summit is at dock as well as Enchantment of the Seas.  Both made port visits in Miami quite recently.   Nieuw Statendam sails on May 10th at 20:00, Summit sails at 17:00 on May 11th, but Enchantment of the Seas does not sail until May 12th after spending 2-3 days in Miami.  Celebrity Equinox is to be in port May 13-14.  Caribbean Princess arrives on May 14th.  

 

Port of Miami:  MSC Meraviglia was in port for almost a week.  She departed and MSC Armonia has taken her place.  Carnival Sunshine and another Carnival ship (not sure which one) spent more than a couple of days in port.  Carnival Elation and Allure of the Seas are in Miami currently.   

 

It seems to me that there is a small flurry of activity in the ports that is different from what I have observed for months.  

 

Am I "reading" too much into what I am observing?  

[CruiserBruce]

You might be seeing vaccination going on. Perhaps crew coming on board.

[LHT28]

Picking up supplies the crew still need to eat

running the engines etc.. to keep the ship working properly

or they may be just getting out of dodge  to another  non USA port to  start cruising again

 

So today is the 10th any pax  boarding??🤔

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

You might be seeing vaccination going on. Perhaps crew coming on board.

Some irony in that we are vaccinating crews for ships at taxpayer expense that will likely not serve the US market for the foreseeable future.  As Don King loves to say, "Only in America!"

[CruiserBruce]

30 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

Some irony in that we are vaccinating crews for ships at taxpayer expense that will likely not serve the US market for the foreseeable future.  As Don King loves to say, "Only in America!"

Well, it has been discussed here that Port Canaveral and Hawaii have been providing vaccines to ships as well. Hawaii is for merchant mariners, not cruise staff.

[Donald]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

thinking that some positive news about the resumption of cruising may be announced soon?

 

What I think is unusual activity in the Port of Miami and Port Everglades by watching the web cams causes me to ask this question.

 

Port Everglades:  Nieuw Statendam is in port again; it wasn't too long ago that she made a visit.  Celebrity Summit is at dock as well as Enchantment of the Seas.  Both made port visits in Miami quite recently.   Nieuw Statendam sails on May 10th at 20:00, Summit sails at 17:00 on May 11th, but Enchantment of the Seas does not sail until May 12th after spending 2-3 days in Miami.  Celebrity Equinox is to be in port May 13-14.  Caribbean Princess arrives on May 14th.  

 

Port of Miami:  MSC Meraviglia was in port for almost a week.  She departed and MSC Armonia has taken her place.  Carnival Sunshine and another Carnival ship (not sure which one) spent more than a couple of days in port.  Carnival Elation and Allure of the Seas are in Miami currently.   

 

It seems to me that there is a small flurry of activity in the ports that is different from what I have observed for months.  

 

Am I "reading" too much into what I am observing?  

You can hope……………

When the bigger ships begin sailing with passengers in the USA - even with reduced occupancy - there will be the inevitable outbreaks, cancelled cruises, and re-starts.

Then the drama starts all over again.

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

You might be seeing vaccination going on. Perhaps crew coming on board.

I have a friend who is in MSC corporate and he told me last week that Florida has started supplying vaccinations for crew.

[CruiserBruce]

19 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

I have a friend who is in MSC corporate and he told me last week that Florida has started supplying vaccinations for crew.

Yep, as discussed,  at least at Port Canaveral. Possibly at Miami and Ft Lauderdale. 

[rkacruiser]

I remain of the thought that "something is afoot".  Why would MSC Meraviglia remain in port for such an extended time as she did?  Why would Enchantment of the Seas remain in the Port of Miami for an unusual period of time?  And, then, shortly thereafter, show up in Port Everglades for the time scheduled?  Why would Nieuw Amsterdam re-appear in Port Everglades so soon after her last visit?  

 

Crew vaccinations?  More re-supply?  Yes, those are good explanations.  But, for the length of time that Meraviglia was in port?  And, the return to a  port of Enchantment of the Seas?  

[George C]

6 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

I remain of the thought that "something is afoot".  Why would MSC Meraviglia remain in port for such an extended time as she did?  Why would Enchantment of the Seas remain in the Port of Miami for an unusual period of time?  And, then, shortly thereafter, show up in Port Everglades for the time scheduled?  Why would Nieuw Amsterdam re-appear in Port Everglades so soon after her last visit?  

 

Crew vaccinations?  More re-supply?  Yes, those are good explanations.  But, for the length of time that Meraviglia was in port?  And, the return to a  port of Enchantment of the Seas?  

It just makes sense to get everyone vaccinated and ready for when the cdc gives the all clear . By the way we are big msc yacht club fans.

[shipgeeks]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Some irony in that we are vaccinating crews for ships at taxpayer expense that will likely not serve the US market for the foreseeable future.  As Don King loves to say, "Only in America!"

Why would you assume it is at taxpayer expense??

[lissie]

4 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

Why would you assume it is at taxpayer expense??

I agree I assume its at cruise line expense 

[lenquixote66]

This morning I woke up with an eye infection.I made an emergency appointment with my Opthalmologist.The doctor said that approximately 100 people a week have been coming in with this problem over the past year and it is an allergy to Covid masks.CDC ,WHO and some scientists believe that wearing a mask may be something that will be a necessity for years to come.

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Some irony in that we are vaccinating crews for ships at taxpayer expense that will likely not serve the US market for the foreseeable future.  As Don King loves to say, "Only in America!"

I feel truly sorry for people whose “foreseeable future” is so limited.  Given the fact that no plague in history has lasted more than two or three years, and with powerful highly effective vaccines now becoming more widely available/accepted, COVID is at least half over.  The only thing delaying its passing is the reluctance of significant numbers to deal with it maturely.

 

p.s. Have you knowledge (not speculation) that crew vaccinations are being done at US taxpayer expense?

[SelectSys]

3 hours ago, frantic36 said:

I have a friend who is in MSC corporate and he told me last week that Florida has started supplying vaccinations for crew.

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Yep, as discussed,  at least at Port Canaveral. Possibly at Miami and Ft Lauderdale. 

 

Funny that the priority is for ships that aren't even going to cruise in the US.  It's in the cruise lines interest to simply load up their ships and have them come to the US for vaccines.  Good luck trying that in another country!

 

https://cruiseradio.net/msc-cruises-begins-crew-vaccination-program-in-florida/#:~:text=MSC Cruises has officially started,the states to be vaccinated.

The cruise line is prioritizing crew members aboard its 10 ships that will be operating cruises this summer, as well as crew aboard ships that are set to resume service out of United States ports to the Caribbean.

 

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Why would you assume it is at taxpayer expense??

Because vaccines are currently 100% controlled by governments in the US.  There is no private market.  

 

The cruise lines have tried to buy and haven't been all that successful for near term purchase.  That said, Israel is contemplating a sale/transfer to RCCL.  Probably not a good look.

 

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-covid-and-israel-country-wants-to-sell-vaccines-to-a-luxury-cruise-line-1.9790995

Royal Caribbean seeks a kind of "bridging" deal with Israel: The company conducted negotiations with manufacturers of vaccines and was able to purchase some, but it will take almost a year until the vials arrive. Meanwhile, the cruise line is asking Israel to sell it vaccines for the interim period until the ones it orders arrive; the company will then repay Israel in vaccines for those it purchased.

 

2 hours ago, lissie said:

I agree I assume its at cruise line expense 

Based on what evidence?  

 

46 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

p.s. Have you knowledge (not speculation) that crew vaccinations are being done at US taxpayer expense?

Are you really serious or are you just playing dumb for comedic effect?  People from all over the world have been coming to the US for vaccines unavailable at home.  I know people who have done it and none of them are paying for the vaccines.  Why would the cruise lines?

 

BTW - Here is another reference showing it is with state sanction that these vaccines are being given out:

https://cruiseradio.net/vaccines-given-florida-port-cruise-ship-employees/

In Florida, the news comes after the state expanded vaccine eligibility to include individuals who are in the state for the purpose of providing goods or services for the benefit of residents and visitors.

 

I would love to see you dig up any evidence that the lines are paying. I hope you are right and I am wrong but it's not just the way things role in America these days.  

 

 

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Some irony in that we are vaccinating crews for ships at taxpayer expense that will likely not serve the US market for the foreseeable future.  As Don King loves to say, "Only in America!"

It is a GLOBAL pandemic. The more people vaccinated worldwide, the better including for Americans. There is now an oversupply of vaccines in the USA due to vaccine hesitancy. Would you really rather see vaccines expire than to go into arms of these crew members?

[bigrednole]

 Too optimistic at the moment. As long as the diaper face is required almost all the time on the ship, cruises are not going to happen. But, there may be very positive news coming later this week from the lawsuit against the CDC. If successful, then the no vaccine passport needs to be addressed. Both must be successful in order for cruising to start in July from FL. I see 3 scenarios.

 

1. CDC loses AND FL temporarily allows vaccine verification for cruise lines: Cruising can start out of FL on some ships mid-July

 

2. CDC loses and FL still does not allow vaccine verification: Cruise will start from other ports outside FL. I expect Galveston, NOLA, maybe Baltimore and NY. But that is yet to be determined.

 

3. CDC wins (FL decision doesn't really matter): I don't expect anyone to cruise with a diaper on their face for 15+ hours a day and not exploring ports. I fully expect cruise lines to move their entire fleets out of the US including Carnival. Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, and others will be more than willing to put together staging areas for cruise lines and the airlines would be more than willing to add routes to accommodate.

[Joebucks]

No one really knows for sure. Not even the cruise lines or CDC.

 

However, we have states and cruise lines getting serious about this. The cruise lines are pre-emptively getting their staff vaccinated to show they mean business. I would like to think that means we are getting closer by the day.

[ovccruiser]

9 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Are you really serious or are you just playing dumb for comedic effect?  People from all over the world have been coming to the US for vaccines unavailable at home.  I know people who have done it and none of them are paying for the vaccines.  Why would the cruise lines?

 

They are not coming from the UK or the EU, we are unable to fly anywhere without a very good reason and trying to get a vaccine in the US is NOT a good enough reason, apart from that, the UK Government pays for our vaccines, so a slight exaggeration "coming from all over the world"

 

Apart form that I thought the vaccines in the US were free https://www.healthline.com/health-news/you-wont-have-to-pay-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-during-the-pandemic

[DirtyDawg]

I would prefer for the cruising public (you and I) to be paying for the cruise ship crews through our cruise fares rather than the U.S. taxpayer. We are the ones who benefit from the cruise companies use of foreign nationals as crew. But if I were a U.S. taxpayer, would I be worrying about this? No because the actual dollars we a talking about here are minuscule vs the total vaccine costs for a country of 330 million people.  

 

BTW, as a Canadian taxpayer I would like to thank all you U.S. taxpayers for footing the bill for the cruise lines' crew if that is, in fact, what is happening.  And good news, all of my Maple Leafs NHL team got their first vaccine shots the other day including the six Americans playing on the team. It's the least we Canadian taxpayers could do for our American taxpaying cousins. 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by DirtyDawg

[DirtyDawg]

21 minutes ago, ovccruiser said:

... the UK Government pays for our vaccines...

 

You, as a UK taxpayer, is  paying for your vaccinations. Your kids and your kids', kids will also likely be paying for your vaccinations through their taxes too. 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by DirtyDawg

[broberts]

The lengthy stays may also be to allow trades aboard for alterations to facilitate distancing and other mitigation. I'm thinking things like screens at customer service, shops, etc.

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by broberts

[navybankerteacher]

18 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

You, as a UK taxpayer, is  paying for your vaccinations. Your kids and your kids', kids will also likely be paying for your vaccinations through their taxes too. 

 

It does help to advise people that anything “free” from their government does have to be paid for by someone- maybe not the day it is given, but surely some time.

[frantic36]

26 minutes ago, ovccruiser said:

They are not coming from the UK or the EU, we are unable to fly anywhere without a very good reason and trying to get a vaccine in the US is NOT a good enough reason, apart from that, the UK Government pays for our vaccines, so a slight exaggeration "coming from all over the world"

 

Apart form that I thought the vaccines in the US were free https://www.healthline.com/health-news/you-wont-have-to-pay-for-a-covid-19-vaccine-during-the-pandemic

Select Sys is all about exaggeration to fit his narrative no matter how many certain selected scientific articles he likes to insert.

 

Like yourself in the UK we cannot just travel easily to the USA just to get a vaccine. Some people just like to think the USA is the "be all and end all". Don't get me wrong I love lots of things I like in the USA just like I enjoy things in many places of the world...I just don't put these places on a pedestal.

 

 

10 hours ago, SelectSys said:

People from all over the world have been coming to the US for vaccines unavailable at home.  I know people who have done it and none of them are paying for the vaccines.  Why would the cruise lines?

 Oh and I can happily report I have had my first vaccine shot without leaving my home country.

 

You do know the Florida government was the one to implement these vaccination programs for crew of course?

[DirtyDawg]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

It does help to advise people that anything “free” from their government does have to be paid for by someone- maybe not the day it is given, but surely some time.

I take it that you are not a big proponent of Modern Monetary Theory. 😉